Childline marks International Day of Sign Languages with accessible support for deaf children

The NSPCC believes every child has a right to protection from harm, and research has shown that children and young people who are deaf or have a disability are at an increased risk of being abused compared with their peers.

They are also less likely to receive the protection and support they need when they have been abused.

This week (September 23) marks International Day of Sign Languages – set up by the United Nations in 2017 to support the linguistic identity and rights of deaf people and other sign language users.

We are proud of our efforts to ensure children and families with hearing impairments can easily access a variety of support services from the NSPCC and Childline.

There are many reasons young people might need support, and our counsellors want to be there to help them through whatever they might be experiencing and however they prefer to communicate.

For children with hearing difficulties, our Childline website is also available in accessible ways, with a section of the site dedicated to support children who are deaf.

The Deaf Zone is there to help any young person who is hard of hearing and includes videos which are subtitled, using English or BSL, and offer advice on how children can deal with bullying or discrimination, and how to overcome challenges around d/Deafness.

We know some young people prefer using BSL to email or the Childline website’s 1-2-1 chat service, so there is also an option for children who prefer to communicate through British Sign Language to speak directly to our counsellors through an online video facility.

Whether they need to speak to someone about an issue at school, something they’re going through at home, or anything they’re worried about, Childline counsellors will be there for them around the clock.

To find out more about services which are also available in accessible ways and the variety of resources available, you can visit the NSPCC website.

To find out more about Childline’s support for the d/Deaf community, go to the Childline website and search ‘deaf zone’.